Jake Slobe| July 10, 2017

Transcript: Data shows that May 2017 was among the hottest months in recorded history.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

May 2017 was the third hottest May on record coming in behind May 2016 and May 2015 according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The month was also the eighteenth hottest month in NASA’s database based on deviation from average temperatures. April 2017 is tied with May for eighteenth hottest month and January, February and March all took top ten positions for hottest months in history.

This positions 2017 to possibly take the title of hottest year on record which is currently held by 2016 and was previously held by 2015 and 2014.

Rising global temperatures have grave environmental effects such as rising sea levels and more intense natural disasters like forest fires, hurricanes, floods and droughts according to NASA.

To learn more, visit iowaenvironmentalfocus.org.

From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.

Iowa Climate Statement 2015: Time for Action

Chris Anderson, Assistant Director of the Climate
Science Program at Iowa State University, spoke during the press conference for the 2015 Iowa Climate Statement at the Iowa capitol in Des Moines on Monday May 11, 2015. (Joe Bolkcom/Twitter)